You requested to advise a group of first-year students to collect the phloem exudates from wheat plants

or Arabidopsis. Give a fives step procedure on how to collect the phloem exudates

1 answer

Sure! Here's a five-step procedure on how to collect phloem exudates from wheat plants or Arabidopsis:

Step 1: Prepare the plants
- Use healthy wheat plants or Arabidopsis with mature leaves for optimal phloem exudation.
- Ensure the plants have been well watered, but not overly saturated.
- Select individual plants or plant sections to work with for ease of collection.

Step 2: Create a setup for exudate collection
- Set up a designated area, like a clean laboratory bench or a sterile workstation.
- Place a petri dish or a clean glass slide on the surface to collect the exudate.
- You can also use a hollow leaf clip or a small capillary tube for exudate collection, depending on the setup available.

Step 3: Excise the plant parts
- Using a sterilized scalpel or a pair of sterilized scissors, carefully excise a leaf or stem section at the desired location.
- Make sure to avoid damaging the phloem tissue during the excision process.

Step 4: Initiate exudation
- With the excised plant part, ensure that the cut end is still attached to the plant.
- Gently place the cut end of the plant part onto the petri dish, glass slide, or the collection device.
- Allow time for natural exudation to occur, typically a few minutes to an hour.
- Alternatively, you can create a gentle vacuum (using a vacuum desiccator or microsyringe) to encourage phloem exudation.

Step 5: Collect the exudates
- Observe the exudation process, and once a sufficient amount of exudate has been released, carefully transfer it into a clean microcentrifuge tube or any appropriate storage container.
- Label the tube or container with the plant species, date, and any other relevant information.
- Store the collected exudate in a refrigerator or icebox until further analysis or use.

Remember, collecting phloem exudates can be a delicate process, so it's important to exercise caution and maintain aseptic conditions throughout the procedure.